24 June, 2009

Nothing is ever certain when working with factories 8,000 miles away. Our last shipment is a good example. Two of the items I was most looking forward to didn't make the shipment. The new two-legged kickstands and the Dia Compe guidonnet levers were delayed. We buy from many factories that ship our products to our agent's warehouse, rather that directly to us, where it is consolidated into a single air or sea shipment. But production delays mean that some items don't make it by the ship date. Since both the kickstand and the levers are brand new, it's not surprising that there were delays in the very first production run.

Our new anti-theft hub skewers did arrive. Unfortunately we incorrectly speced the length of the rear skewer (they only fit frames with 135mm rear spacing); just a simple mistake. But now we have to wait for replacement parts to make them fit other spacing. These use a special Allen wrench (it has a hole in the tip) that should deter most wheel thieves.

Our new saddles with the copper rivets are also delayed a few weeks. The factory missed a detail in our specs, the anti-stretch laminate on the underside. Again, just a simple mistake of the sort we all make.

On the other hand, the new Dia Compe cable clips are perfect. These are great for restorations and for securing shift cables on internal hub conversions. And they are available in all three common steel tubing sizes, 25.4mm, 28.6mm, and 31.8mm.

what was the resultant length of the rear skewers? Based on the counting of squares method of measurement, and assuming the shorter one is at 100mm spacing, they may play well with OMM racks, and the longer required axel?

I think the metal clips are an awesome idea for those who want to convert a modern fixie frame into something more versatile, like an internally geared hub or singlespeed. Thanks for making them in the multiple sizes.mburdge

couldn't you just cut the threads lower on the sqewer so that they will fit a 126mm dropout? Or is the problem that the free nut is the one that takes the key, so then the extra length can't protrude from the end when the sqewer is being tightened down? If so, then you can just instruct the user on how to cut the sqewer down with a hacksaw (you still need to cut the threads for them though).

If one was so inclined, couldn't someone just cut the excess threaded length off the end of the skewer so it would fit a narrower spacing? Surely there's not enough threaded length to cut down to 120 mm...but maybe 130?

The only problem is that the threading doesn't go down far enough for hubs narrower than 135mm.

The outside measurement on dropouts with spacing for a 126mm hub is usually about 134-136mm. So when the factory confirmed the spacing we thought it was outside spacing while they gave us inside spacing.

Perfect timing on the anti-theft skewers, Chris! My brand new Rivendell frame needs locking skewers and I've been unable until now to find any that I'd be willing to put on my bike. I have a 135mm spacing and a set is now on order! Cheers--Karl

Chris, will a normal allen key work with the skewers, or not? In the photo the key appears to have a small hole drilled in the end. I like the skewers but wonder what I'll do if I lose the one special key and I need to fix a flat, for instance.

I'm forgetful enough that I'd have to wear the special key on a chain around my neck. Maybe I can drill out the pin from the female nut so a regular key can fit it, then I'd only be vulnerable to thieves who carry allen keys, which is probably good enough for where I usually ride. I'm going to order a set.